Wash aid for long bandages and wrapping materials

ABSTRACT

A wash aid for washing and drying long bandages and wrapping materials, such as those used to wrap the legs of horses, made out of a mesh material having openings sized to allow water or warm air to flow through the wash aid and retain the bandages and wraps therein. The wash aid is configured into multiple compartments by one or more dividers disposed between the sides of the wash aid. An opening on the front of the wash aid allows access into the cavity within the compartments. Alternatively, each compartment has its own opening. One or more closure mechanisms close the opening or openings to retain the bandages inside the wash aid during the washing and drying so as to reduce the likelihood of the bandages tangling or being damaged by contact with each other or the washing/drying machines.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/366,793 filed Mar. 25, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A. Field of the Invention

[0003] The field of the present invention relates generally to devicesused to effectively wash dirty or soiled materials in a manner thatkeeps the materials separated from each other to avoid tangling andunnecessary wear of the materials during the washing process. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to wash aid devices that arecan be used to wash lengthy bandaging material, such as wrapping usedfor horses, in a washing machine without tangling and rubbing thewrapping during the wash process.

[0004] B. Background

[0005] Bandages and wrapping materials come in all sizes and types formany different uses and are made from all types of materials. Somebandages are used to cover a small area or injury. Other bandages,particularly of the wrap type, are relatively long, narrow strips ofbandage material that are used to wrap a large area (such as a leg) orto use in multiple layers over a relatively small area to providesupport (i.e., wraps for the knee or elbow). If long enough, the bandagecan be used to both wrap and support a large area. One commonly knowntype of wrap bandage is available from ACE Bandage and are referred toas Ace Bandages™. These types of bandages, made from an elastic clothmaterial, are used by hospitals, doctors, sport trainers and at home totreat and protect injuries.

[0006] Sometimes, the bandage or wrap material is made to be disposable(i.e., not for reuse). Most commonly, however, bandages and wraps aremade of materials that are intended to be repeatedly reused. Because thebandage or wrap material is likely to be exposed to blood, sweat andother bodily fluids, it is important that the materials are thoroughlycleaned between uses, particularly if used on different people. Even ifthe same person will be reusing the bandage or wrap material, it isstill necessary to periodically clean the material for sanitary andaesthetic purposes. As is well known, the most common, cost and timeefficient manner of washing and drying bandages is to utilize standardclothes washing and drying machines.

[0007] One common use for long, elongated bandage or wrap materials isto treat injured horses. Horse bandages are long strips of material thatare frequently made from a combination of fleece and polyester. Horsebandages are available in the three basic types of bandages: (1) polowraps; (2) track bandages; and (3) stable bandages. These bandages aretypically used on the horse's leg. The basic purpose of horse bandagesis to keep swelling down by reducing the amount of fluid going to theinjury and to provide support for the leg while at rest, and during workor exercise. Another purpose of these bandages is to keep any underlyingwound clean to avoid infection and to prevent stretching of the woundand any stitches that have been applied to the injury.

[0008] A problem that is particular to long, elongated bandages orwraps, whether used for people or animals, is that the process ofcleaning the bandages has some inherent difficulties. These difficultiesinclude tangling of the bandages and unnecessary wear of the bandages.These problems are even more acute when multiple bandages are washed ordried together at the same time and in the same washing or dryingmachine. The tumbling and spinning process of the washing and dryingmachines results in the bandages becoming tangled and ending up in aknotted mess that takes unnecessary time and effort to untangle in orderto be able to reuse the bandages. In addition, the standard washing anddrying processes causes the bandages to rub against each other, whichresults in unnecessary wear of the bandages. The wear problem is moreacute for those bandages, such as horse bandages, that utilize softfleece or other similar material that does not withstand rubbing well.

[0009] Any device that is utilized to assist with the washing and dryingof bandages and/or wraps in standard washing and drying machines must beconfigured so as not to damage the interior of these machines or todamage other materials being washed or dried in the machines. Inaddition, the device itself must be constructed so as to not be easilydamaged by the washing and drying processes and be sufficiently durableso as not to be frequently replaced.

[0010] Laundry bags for washing various materials are disclosed inseveral related art patents. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,312 toMilstein discloses a laundry bag that is made from fine gauge nylon netthat is formed into a generally trapezoidal configuration for securemachine washing and/or drying of “delicate” articles, such as hosiery,lingerie and the like. This device utilizes an open upper end havingcloth bands affixed to the net material with hook and thistle closurearrangements (i.e., Velcro®) on the cloth bands to seal the bag duringuse. U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,967 to Tsuyoshi, et al. discloses a laundry bagmade of net material having a slider mechanism to close the bag opening.The laundry bag is formed into an octahedron to permit water to flowthrough the bag no matter which way it faces with respect to the waterand to prevent the slider mechanism from damaging other articles in thewasher or dryer. Although the above and other related art describeslaundry bags of various fabrics and closure mechanisms for similar uses,none provide the benefits of the wash aid device of the presentinvention for long, elongated bandages and wrapping materials.

[0011] What is needed, is a relatively inexpensive and easy to use washaid device for washing multiple long, elongated bandages and wraps thatprevents the bandages and wraps from becoming tangled and beingsubjected to unnecessary wear. Such a device would simplify theprocedure for reusing these types of bandages by reducing or eliminatingthe time and effort required to sort out and unknot the bandages. Inaddition, such a device would reduce wear of the bandages by reducingthe amount of rubbing the bandages are subjected to during the washingand drying process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The wash aid device of the present invention solves the problemsidentified above. That is to say, the present invention discloses a washaid device that prevents bandages, particularly of the long, elongatedtype used to wrap horse legs, from becoming tangled and being subjectedto unnecessary wear during the conventional washing and drying process.The wash aid device of the present invention provides a simple, easy touse and relatively inexpensive wash aid for washing and drying bandagesand wraps. The wash aid device of the present invention is suitable foreffectively washing and drying such bandages and wraps in conventionalwashing and drying machines.

[0013] In one configuration, the wash aid of the present invention isformed from a mesh material bag that is closed at its top, bottom andsides. The mesh material of the bag has a plurality of openings that aresized and configured to allow water and air to flow through the bag andyet prevent the bandages from passing therethrough. One or more dividersare disposed between the sides so as to form two or more compartments.Each of the compartments has a cavity for receiving one of the bandagestherein. An opening on the front of the bag is in communication with atleast one of the cavities in the compartments and is sized for insertingthe bandages into the cavities and removing the bandages from thecavities. A closure mechanism across the opening is used to close theopening so as to retain the bandages in the cavities during the washingand drying of the bandages. In the preferred embodiment, the opening andclosure mechanism is located near the top bag (on its front) and theclosure mechanism is either a zipper or a tie. The wash aid can beconfigured such that the dividers are in generally equally spacedrelation between the first side and the second side such that thecompartments are of substantially equal size. In another configuration,each compartment has its own opening and closure mechanism, such thatthe opening and closure mechanism does not cross the dividers, forplacing a bandage or wrap inside the compartment cavity.

[0014] Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is toprovide a wash aid for bandages and wrapping materials that overcomesthe disadvantages associated with the conventional washing and drying ofsuch bandages and wraps.

[0015] It is also an important objective of the present invention toprovide a wash aid for bandages and wrapping materials that isparticularly suited for use with long, elongated bandages and wraps,such as those used for wrapping the legs of horses.

[0016] It is also an important objective of the present invention toprovide a wash aid for bandages and wrapping materials that effectivelywashes and dries long, elongated bandages and wraps in standard washingmachines and driers.

[0017] It is also an important objective of the present invention toprovide a wash aid for bandages and wrapping materials that can be maderelatively inexpensively and which is easy to use.

[0018] The above and other objectives of the present invention will beexplained in greater detail by reference to the attached figures and thedescription of the preferred embodiment which follows. As set forthherein, the present invention resides in the novel features of form,construction, mode of operation and/or combination of processespresently described and understood by the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In the drawings which illustrate the best modes presentlycontemplated for carrying out the present invention:

[0020]FIG. 1 is a preferred wash aid device of the present inventionhaving four compartments and utilizing a zipper-type of closuremechanism for each compartment;

[0021]FIG. 2 is a side view of the wash aid shown in FIG. 1 with abandage shown inside the cavity of the wash aid; and

[0022]FIG. 3 is an alternative embodiment of the wash aid device of thepresent invention with six compartments and utilizing a tie-type ofclosure mechanism for each compartment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] With reference to the figures where like elements have been givenlike numerical designations to facilitate the reader's understanding ofthe present invention, and particularly with reference to the embodimentof the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, the preferredembodiments of the present invention are set forth below. As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the wash aid for long bandages and wrapping materials ofthe present invention, identified as 10, generally comprises elongated,mesh-type bag 11 having a top 12, bottom 14, opposing first side 16 andsecond side 18 with one or more compartment separators 20 dividingdevice 10 into multiple compartments 22, each of which is sized to holda long, elongated bandage or wrap (collectively referred to as “bandage”and shown as 23 in FIG. 2) during the washing and drying process. Bag 11is closed at top 12, bottom 14, first side 16 and second side 18 toprevent bandages 23 from passing therethrough. As shown in FIG. 2, washaid device 10 of the present invention has a front 24 and back 26 toform compartments 22 into separate enclosed cavities 28 for receivingand retaining the long, elongated bandage 23 therein. Bandage 23 isplaced inside cavity 28 through opening 30 located on the front 24 neartop 12 of compartment 22 of wash aid 10. To secure the bandage 23 insidecavity 28 during the washing and drying processes, closure mechanism 32is utilized to close opening 30. In one configuration, such as shown inFIG. 1, opening 30 and closure mechanism 32 extend across two or morecompartments 22. In another configuration, such as shown in FIG. 3, eachcompartment 22 has its own separate opening 30 and closure mechanism 32.

[0024] In the preferred embodiment, wash aid 10 is made from a meshmaterial having weaves 34 with a plurality of flow-through openings 36disposed therebetween to allow cleaning fluid (i.e., soap and water) inand dirt, dirty fluid and the blood, sweat and other fluids on bandages23 out. A preferred material for wash aid 10 of the present invention isa mesh material made of 100% polyester netting. The material can bestretchable or non-stretchable. Certain characteristics of materials arepreferably suited for use for wash aid 10 of the present invention. Themesh material of bag 11 for wash aid 10 should be selected such that itwill not unduly wear against bandages 23 during the washing and dryingprocess. Although bandages 23 will be inside separate compartments 22 inwash aid 10 and will not rub against each other, there will be somerubbing between bandages 23 and wash aid device 10. Therefore, thematerial selected for bag 11 should be of the type that will not harmbandage 23, particularly those that utilize fleece material. Althoughthe material selected must be of the type that will not harm bandages23, wash aid 10 should be of a material able to withstand multiplewashing and drying cycles without resulting in undue amount of wear towash aid device 10. Preferably, the material should also be of the typethat will not unduly stick to or connect with the Velcro®) or othertypes of connectors used on many bandages 23. Materials that theinventor has found suitable for wash aid device 10 include polyesternetting and thread.

[0025] As stated above, the preferred materials are made in a mesh-typeof design or some other configuration that allows the cleaning fluidsand rinse fluids in and the dirt, blood, sweat, etc. and dirty fluidout. With the material of bag 11 made in a properly designed meshconfiguration, comprising weave 34 and openings 36, bandages 23 willremain in wash aid 10 during the washing and drying process. Therefore,openings 36 must be configured to be small enough to keep bandages 23 inthe individual compartments 22, yet not so small as to impede thetransfer of clean or dirty fluids. The mesh openings 36 can be of anyshape. One type of mesh material the inventor has found to be suitablefor the intended purpose of wash aid device 10 is mesh having openingsthat are round shaped and are approximately {fraction (1/16)} inch insize.

[0026] Was aid device 10 of the present invention should be made intomultiple compartments 22 for washing and drying multiple bandages 23,with one bandage 23 per compartment 22. For instance, wash aid device 10of FIG. 1 has four compartments 22 for separately holding four bandages23 (i.e., one in each compartment 22) and wash aid device of FIG. 3 hassix compartments 22 for holding six bandages 23. Depending on the sizeand usage of bandages 23, more or less compartments 22 may beappropriate. In one configuration, compartments 22 can be made by merelystitching divider 20 across an elongated bag with thread. Alternatively,compartments 22 can be formed by attaching compartment dividers 20, madeout of other materials, on the bag to divide bag into compartments 22.Dividers 20 can be in generally equal spaced apart relation betweenfirst side 16 and second side 18 such that each of the compartments 22are of substantially equal size. For usage with horse bandages, whichare relatively long, the use of four compartments 22 is appropriatebecause the owner can wash one set of bandages 23 (one for each leg) atthe same time and keep the bandages 23 together as a group. Thisfacilitates even wear and reduces time after the wash and dry process tosort bandages 23 by color, etc. Because of the size of the horsebandages, the inventor has found that compartments 22 sized eleveninches by fifteen inches is generally suitable. Depending on the desiredoverall size of the wash aid device 10, more compartments 22 can be usedif the bandages 23 are smaller. Alternatively, the overall size of thewash aid can be increased. For instance, FIG. 3 shows a wash aid device10 having six compartments 22 that can be made narrower and less deepthan the four compartments 22 in FIG. 1. Many other configurations ofwash aid device 10 are possible with varying number and size ofcompartments 22. Although wash aid device 10 can be configured forspecific uses, it can also be configured to be more versatile (i.e.,average size for a variety of bandages) for general usage.

[0027] To keep the bandages in the their respective compartments 22, thewash aid device 10 should be provided with one or more closuremechanisms 32 to close each compartment 22 so as to retain the bandages23 in cavity 28. One such closure mechanism 32, shown in FIG. 1, is azipper 38 having serrated teeth 40 that runs the entire length of washaid device 10 and one or more zipper pulls 42 to open or close allcompartments 22 at the same time. Alternatively, each of the fourseparate compartments 22 can have their own zipper 38 or other closuremechanism 32. If zipper 38 is used, it should be of the type that willnot damage bandages 23 or wash aid 10. For instance, zipper 38 can be anylon or some other relatively soft material instead of the standardmetal zipper. The inventor has found that two #5 nylon zippers 38opening and closing from near the middle of wash aid device 10 workswell as closure mechanism 32.

[0028] Instead of zipper 38, other types of closure mechanisms 32 can beused. As shown in FIG. 3, the closure mechanism can be a tie 44 at theopening 30 for each compartment 22. Although not shown, closuremechanism 32 could also be snaps, Velcro®, buckles, buttons or othertype of closing devices. As with zipper 38, ties 44 (or other closuremechanism 32) can be for each compartment 22 or there can be lessclosure mechanisms 32 that close one or more (or all) of thecompartments 22 at one time. Closure mechanism 32 should be chosen to beof the type that will not damage bandages 23, wash aid device 10 or theinterior of the washing and drying machines.

[0029] While there are shown and described herein certain specificalternative forms of the invention, it will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art that the invention is not so limited, but issusceptible to various modifications and rearrangements in design andmaterials without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.In particular, it should be noted that the present invention is subjectto modification with regard to the dimensional relationships set forthherein and modifications in assembly, materials, size, shape, and use.For instance, there are numerous components described herein that can bereplaced with equivalent functioning components to accomplish theobjectives of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wash aid for use in washing one or morebandages in a washing machine and drying said bandages in a dryingmachine, said wash aid comprising: a bag having a top, a bottom, a firstside and an opposing second side and a front and an opposing back, saidbag closed at said top, said bottom, said first side and said secondside, said bag made from an open mesh material having a plurality ofopenings therein, said openings sized and configured to prevent saidbandages from passing therethrough; one or more dividers on said bag,said one or more dividers disposed between said first side and saidsecond side so as to form two or more compartments, each of saidcompartments having a cavity for receiving one of said bandages therein;an opening on said front of said bag, said opening in communication withat least one of said cavities in said compartments, said opening sizedfor inserting said bandages into said cavities and removing saidbandages from said cavities; and closure means at said opening forclosing said opening so as to retain said bandages in said cavitiesduring the washing and drying of said bandages.
 2. The wash aidaccording to claim 1, wherein said opening is located near said top ofsaid bag.
 3. The wash aid according to claim 1, wherein said closuremeans is a zipper.
 4. The wash aid according to claim 1, wherein saidclosure means is a tie.
 5. The wash aid according to claim 1, whereinsaid one or more dividers are in generally equally spaced relationbetween said first side and said second side so said compartments are ofsubstantially equal size.
 6. The wash aid according to claim 1, whereinsaid wash aid has at least four compartments.
 7. The wash aid accordingto claim 1, wherein said closure means operates across two or morecompartments.
 8. A wash aid for use in washing one or more bandages in awashing machine and drying said bandages in a drying machine, said washaid comprising: a bag having a top, a bottom, a first side and anopposing second side and a front and an opposing back, said bag closedat said top, said bottom, said first side and said second side, said bagmade from an open mesh material having a plurality of openings therein,said openings sized and configured to prevent said bandages from passingtherethrough; one or more dividers on said bag, said one or moredividers disposed between said first side and said second side so as toform two or more compartments, each of said compartments having a cavityfor receiving one of said bandages therein and an opening incommunication with said cavity, said opening located on said front ofsaid bag and sized for inserting one of said bandages into said cavityand removing said bandage from said cavity; and closure means at each ofsaid openings for closing said openings so as to retain said bandage insaid cavity during the washing and drying of said bandage.
 9. The washaid according to claim 8, wherein said opening is located near said topof said bag.
 10. The wash aid according to claim 8, wherein said closuremeans is a zipper.
 11. The wash aid according to claim 8, wherein saidclosure means is a tie.
 12. The wash aid according to claim 8, whereinsaid one or more dividers are in generally equally spaced relationbetween said first side and said second side so said compartments are ofsubstantially equal size.